Jerry is off the charts here, and so many others have said it better about the whole show, but the Reprise Playing In The Band out of Stella Blue, especially Jerry's out solo after the chorus is the BEST I have ever heard. Rarely does Jerry solo for so many bars in that outro - just wailing on that theme, and the drummers come unglued!

1973-12-12: The Omni, Atlanta, GA sound check

Cool recording, good sound, worth a download. Iko Iko is kinda painful, but the rest of the concert is above average.

This week we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of a shit hot Fall ’77 tour which contains very few, if any blemishes. Surrounded by shows that are all pretty much monsters in their own right, this one had a lot to live up to in my book. It was a totally blind first listen for me (with the exception of Eyes), which is why I ended up reviewing this bad boy right away. The mountainous terrain of this show is only overshadowed by the ridiculous precision they play with. This show is very unique and once again caught me completely off guard. Here goes nothin’ ...

We start off with an innocently enough with a Bertha>GL combo, that pretty much takes off with Jerry’s first solo and never looks back. I could tell immediately Jerry had a little extra jump in his game this evening by how fast he was pickin’ out the gate. The transition into Good Lovin’ was very nice and I would go so far as to say this is one of the best non-primal GL’s I’ve heard. Jerry is just burnin’ shit up and the boys sound really freakin’ tight tonight. Very nice job…Pull up a chair boys and girls, because shit is officially on with the first few licks of BEW. MAN, are you kidding me? The time on this one is dead on and Jerry’s soloing is lengthy, free-wheeling and just plain wonderful. Phil has a really punchy, full sound as well tonight which is accenting Jerry perfectly. This was also the first time I noticed Jerry’s vocals – a little “different” sounding. I put it in quotes because they sound more than a little odd, they sound a bit overdone. Next up is Cassidy, which straight UP fantastic from start to finish. Jerry starts weaving in and out of the percussive groove of this one almost immediately. Fast and furious, this one is done seemingly as quick as it lifted off. I was literally like WTF? 5 minutes man? Quitting on that fat-assed groove? Sheesh, that was great but also criminal – I mean to quit on it like that. The tune was rolling around my head in double helix fashion right up to the point that they closed it like the album version, no second time around and no slow landing either. It was like a perfectly played radio version or something. Precise and hard fought, and then closed right on the button. Weird. Roses and Sunrise come up next, and this was really a low point for the set imo. Jerry’s vocals definitely sound a little shaky during Roses and I really do not care for Sunrise. Minglewood follows up those two and is really well done. Bobby sounds really good tonight, and Jerry is still crushing everything he plays. Incredibly precise. OK, so next up is the oddball of the night – Dupree’s…I still don’t really know what I think of this one. I would definitely use one of my favorite descriptors – disjointed. I love Dupree’s, but this one sounds off to me. It sounds like Jerry wants to play it faster really bad, yet Phil and Billy wont allow it. The vocals are definitely strainy and shaky at spots, and his soloing never really develops like the others have this evening. I love this tune, and I think this one doesn’t really work. Weird….Alright, next up is the set-closing LIG and it is everything I wanted to be. Unlike any other tune from the first set, they sorta slip their way into this one like a pair of old comfortable jeans. Really enjoying the rhythm of this one as Jerry starts to really ramp this one up – and then at about the 330 mark, Jerry takes off again. This is one beautiful solo here. Totally unique. They slow it down just in time for another go round from Jerry, which really does not let up for the remainder of the song. MAN, Jerry is unleashing yet another mind bending solo blast that turns this jaw-dropper inside out. The really amazing part is the gentility this one floats in with, just as soft as could be and that is that. This cowbell laden LIG is one for the ages. Incredible way to close this mediocre first set.

OK, so thoughts on the first set – Strange. Very intense, incredibly well played but impatient at spots. Jerry sounds loaded to me, but I just can’t put my finger on it. He does not sound dosed and really doesn’t sound blown out either – but off. What in the world can make you so incredibly focused yet sound so impatient at the same time. Ehh, who knows, I just know that set was as uneven as they come. Brilliant and boring, Im not even sure what I think so far. It definitely has my attention, and that is always a good starting point.

They start off with the great “Jones Gang” banter and it is funny as hell. Phil sounds tipsy and is kinda slurring his words and spitting when he talks – and I am officially looking forward to the second set. They finally resolve whatever issue they had and blast away into another fat, burbling groove which is Samson. Billy and Mick sound perfectly in tune with each other tonight. They pull this one off beautifully and Jerry once again is soloing like a man possessed – fast and furious and precise as could be. For sounding half in the bag, Phil is playing off his ass tonight – just dominating. WOW, what a jam out of this one, right into one of the worst transitions I have ever heard – right into CRS. As terrible as that transition was, the odd placement works for me and so does this version. Jerry sounds calmer and his voice sounds waay better than it did in the first set. Sweet job on that little opening combo….OK, so next up is the insanely good combo of Playin’>Eyes>Estimated>TOO>Drums>Aiko>Stella>Playin’ reprise. Beginning with Playin’ this heady nugget slides right into a phantasmagorical display of mind bending musicianship. They drop right in, on cue @ about the 3 minute mark and we are officially aloft. Like a picture from above, this one provides an aeronautical view of the compositions wild terrain. Slow motion beefy wah licks keep this one hovering around the target like a gentile storm rolling in on a cool breeze. There is no real sense of when the storm will hit, but you can feel it in the air. Erupting like NY Lake Effect snow, Eyes comes surging outta that little jam and showers the crowd with licks of the utmost precision. Jerry's furious soloing leaves behind a white-hot trail of cosmic debris that coalesces into a moment of low level silence, which transforms into a monumental Estimated. That seismic shift from the rapturous Eyes into this Technicolor Estimated is simply magnificent. Almost the second the crowd settles into the heavy groove of Estimated, Phil starts the adrenaline inducing roll and we are off again in the form of TOO. Jerry takes off again like a maniac in this thunderous fugue and my jaw about hit the freakin’ floor. Are you kiddin me man? Holy shit I am in awe. About the time I got done shakin’ my head in disbelief, Jerry dethrottles this one right down into Drums. Drums then develops into an extremely NFA- esque Iko Iko. I don’t think the crowd had the slightest idea that this song was not a tripped out NFA until at least the 3 minute mark. They really cut the amalgamated funk loose on this drippy oddball, and the result brings a pie-eyed smile to my face. Nice. Just like that we are knee deep in the ballad of the night, Stella. This mournful tearjerker emanates outta that graceful presence one can only describe as, “Jerry”. This one is absolutely breathtaking in every way. Silence from the crowd, as the tender phrasing comes outta the Bean. Where his shaky/strainy sound of his voice hurt him earlier in tonight’s performance, I think it now accentuates an already incredible version of this song. I honestly don’t know how Stella gets any better than this. I was incredibly caught up in the moment of this one, and it had my head spinning. Ever so gently this one comes to an almost full quiet, and just like that we go full tilt into Playin’ reprise which proceeds to blow the roof clean fucking off that little gymnasium - and we are done. Holy shit that second set was un-Real. Bobby pops back out and wishes them a Happy Homecoming for the second time this evening and lays down the JBG encore. Well done boys, and the crowd is absolutely howling. My god, what a freaking roller coaster ride that was.

Thoughts – I have come to the conclusion that his show was a raucous, maniacal, drug fueled, five-alarm face melting fire. Regardless of what influence they were under, it sounded like they were having a great time up there. The precision and control they displayed this evening was remarkable, considering half of the time it sounded like Jerry was playing as fast as he could. I really liked this show. Minus the somewhat screwy setlist and Jerry’s shaky sounding vocals at times, this could have been an all timer. That second set was unbelievable and I am definitely recommending this one. This has to be one of the wildest shows I have heard, and I am giving it an A.

Love Donna is Johnny B Goode. "Go Boys"

Cracks me up, great show! Love the Aud.

but some very sweet moments. First set better than second, with an absolutely sick Let It Grow. And it's an SBD you can still download!

If anyone wonders why, play this one for them. If they do not like it, play it again...LOUDER.

this is a sweet, jazzy show, complete with a hyper-drive Eyes of the World, and a heartbreaking Stella Blue...maybe best of all is the fact you can still download it!

so nice to stumble on this 33 years after this was made in a small gym during homecoming weekend at this university. i love all the history that people give on this site. thanks to all those who were and are deadheads and especially those who recorded shows but most of all to this band that came high stepping into towns and colleges all those years

Where do these final few tunes come from? Deadlists has this show ending on JBG and Phil clearly bids goodnight, so where are these final songs from...???

Wow, what a download. Just when I thought I had the best '77 shows going, another one pops up. I was twelve in '77 , so I did not have the pleasure of checking the dead out live during this period. First shows were 8/7 & 8/8/82 at Alpine Valley. I feel that '77 was quite possibly the best year ever in terms of consistently strong performances over the course of the whole year. What a seemless transition from Playin' to Eyes.... wow. GREAT SHOW. FYI , there are about 6 or 7 SBD's from '77 avaialable in the "Free Stash" at Nugs.net..... Enjoy

Audio Engineers hear my plea!

If ever there were an Audience and Soundboard Source which deserved to be married through the application of your craft - these are them!

Download the aud from this concert now! Blows the SBD away! Why? Because Jerry Moore was standing directly behind the soundboard when he taped this awesome show! Is he the SHIT, or what?????

I downloaded the soundboard, but after listening to Bertha and Good Lovin' (sounded a little muddled), I downloaded the aud songs, which blew me away!

Every time the Dead start a show with Bertha > Good Lovin’ > BEW > Cassidy, you know it’s a smokin’ show!

May be the most energetic and best-sounding Sampson and Cold Rain and Snow I've ever heard! This 2nd set just doesn’t let up! It is straight-away rock-n-roll until the end! The Playin’ > Eyes > Estimated > Other One is absolutely ridiculous! This Eyes is one of the fastest, most jammin’ Eyes I’ve ever heard! Garcia’s guitar is on fire during this song! No doubt the Dead excelled and thrived off the incredible intensity from the crowd in that small gymnasium. You will be jammin’ whether at home or in your car listening to this incredible show!

Every time I find a great show from 1977, then along comes another one (like 11/4) that just blows me away! Most of my downloads are soundboards, but this aud is off-the-hook people! Wish I could have been at these shows in 1977, but I was stationed overseas in Okinawa for most of the year, and then transferred to Yuma, AZ in late ’77, when I was in the Marines.

Oh, and the Johnny B. Goode is the most incredible rockin’ version I’ve ever heard this band play!! It’s the fucking SHIT!!

Danny from Northern Virginia outside of Washington, D.C.
East-Coast Deadhead
rfkrox44@hotmail.com

PEACE-OUT!

I heard about this concert from a friend at around midnight the night before. 4 of us drove all night from Providence. As I recall, the Dead ended up playing this tiny gym on Colgate homecoming weekend only because the originally scheduled band (Rennaisance) canceled at the last minute. Apparently the Dead were free that night and agreed to play for way less than their normal fee. Seeing the boys in such a small venue was truly unique (and quite a contrast the 150,000 at Englishtown, NJ on 9/3/77, my previous show). The 1rst set is good, but things really catch fire with Let It Grow and keep smokin' until the end. The shows in fall '77 are hyper-energized with perhaps more risk taking than the "exactly perfect" performances of early 77. Kudos to those who worked to make this material available!

Boy. I was never a big fan of the 90-mph versions of Eyes, but this one is really something.

Oh man, what a killer show. Even though Donna's in the band, it doesn't get much better than this. Near the end of Cassidy I feel like a half-set bowl of berry blue jello, all a-jiggle and waiting to be slurped down into someone's gullet. If you need this show, snag it straight from the server and enjoy!

This show materialized out of thin air or so it seemed...Saw the 5-5 through 5-9-77 run (college kid in upstate NY) but my memory of this run (11-4 through 11-6) and in particular this show was that it was the most fun and racous time I ever had at a show...The crowd was completely amped from the opening note of Bertha..and the paper was very clean....The BEW is one of the finest ever...when Jerry digs in for the 3rd pass of the lead break it takes off! Be nice to hear a matrix of this as the SB is obviously superior but very dry...

Just listen to it..I think it is up with Cornell..Listen to the Iko--Stella..Garcia's guitar explodes...What more can I say...

Here the Dead sound like they are evolving away from the sound of spring and summer of this year into a heavier sound. It starts with one of the better Bertha's of the year, though the rest of the first set is nothing special. Then, Let it Grow cooks. A tip-top Playing jam here goes to some interest spaces as do the best Dead jams. Not my favorite Eyes, though it's probably one of the fastest ever. A nice Estimated slips into a fiery Other One. Iko Iko is just plain fun, and Stella Blue into the Playing reprise is mighty fine.

is it me... or does this show really suck!? HAHAH. couldnt say that one with a straight face if you paid me. listen to this one. phil drops nine hundred and seventy thousand bombs on the audience during set 2. man, does he own or what?! oh, and the let it grow is a beaut. the playin' seems liket the guys cant get going until the middle or so when it is like a ray of light peeking through a cave. it is... how to describe... hmm, it seems to peel back layers to the point of a burst of light near the end which slowly creeps into your eyes(of the world). hell if i know, just listen to the damn thing.

very much in agreement with my brethen,amazing!SIMPLY ASS KICKING ROCK AND ROLL!

I was there, magic molecules dancing in my head.
Seemed almost no one knew about this show -
we got there in the afternoon, bought tickets,
& went to chill in a motel. Back at the college,
showtime, & they're GIVING tickets away!
The gym was a big metal quonset hut, crowd
less than 1000, incredible vibes!
I managed to get some decent pix, with my
elbows on the stage, & total strangers lifting
me onto their shoulders for a better angle.
Every song was killer - not a dud all night.
By far one of my all-time favorite shows.

This is my favorite Estimated, just the right feel.

This is a great show - agree with all the reviews - just add that I love the 77 feel and groove to the Dupree's which wasn't was standard at that point.

Damn! What a f-ing smokin' Bertha>Good Lovin' to open!!! Jerry IS/WAS KING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 minutes into brown eyed women
i thought i liked the grateful deads music before?
upon close to 20 listenings i still am getting chills from this 2:00 --> 3:15 of Brown Eyed Women
im inspired
gaaahh i love that

Always thought that the run of 10/29 - 11/6 was the best of the year. I was leaning on the stage for this show which took place in a tiny gym. I remember Phil dancing with Donna during Let It Grow. The 2nd set is brilliant, the Eyes is turbo-charged, the Other One a short but intense version. Very neat Iko coming out of Drums. This should have been the DP instead of the following night.

This was probably the best show I ever saw. Yes, it was a "Gym" but with the bleachers pulled out from the rear, it gave a big open seatless dance floor with heights to retreat to when you wanted. Damn, the music was good! The energy between the band and the crowd was alive and the tempo all night was "up". Also, this was (according to DeadBase) the first time ever they played "Eyes" into "Estimated Prophet" instead of the other way around makes it even more special. Listen to that transition and it nothing like you've heard before!

I too, wish it was a Dicks Picks over the following night, but, maybe soon?

Think about it. But, only after downloading this show!
-----------
Update 8/10/05
I originally posted this review on the Aud tape version. Both are a must! The AUD version has the complete Jones Gang Intro which the begining is cut on this Betty Board version. The Aud though not as clean picks up the energy that reverberated through the audience that night!

This version is incredibly clean too though the volume is a bit low.

Still, this show is a must have. Been listneing to a bunch from '77 and this one stacks up with the best!

Bear in SC

Wow...a super-fast, super-raging Eyes...unbelievable, you must hear this

Not mentioned in the info file is that there's a splice in the pre-set 2 banter that cuts off the beginning of Phil's drunken Jones Band spiel. Still some priceless stuff, though, especially Jerry's "freshly deported from Canada, ladies and gentlemen" crack.

Also, the whole show can fit on 2 cd's without the filler: disc 1 = 1st set >> Cold Rain, and disc 2 = Playin >> end.

Can't say much more about the music that hasn't been said already. Fantastic show, especially the Eyes>Estimated flipflop.

the sequence beginning with playin' winding thourgh eyes>estimated>drums>other one>iko>stella and back to playin' is spellbinding. the trans from stella to playin reprise is brilliant....77 is so nice to me

yup, it is the 73 soundcheck (check the text notes). Don't know why its here, though. I DL'd the 73 show and I am about to DL this one. Cold Rain & Snow, among many other common 80's tunes were not played much, if at all, during this much bally-hooed year (i.e., China-Rider, Cumberland, Crazy Fingers, Big RR, Bird Song, etc...). Its a credit to the brilliance of this band that 77 stands as one of their best years despite the lack of many of their great songs.

checked deadbase....may be 12/12/73 soundcheck? anyone?

Unreal show in the Chenango Valley....a year before I got to Colgate....had the AUD which sounded like it was underwater due to the venue (basically an ice rink covered with corragated steel)...but the SBD is
beautiful! For fans of May '77... check it out the Fall rocked too!

This was a nice suprize. I downloaded this show because of the new Dick's Picks that came out. I must say tho that I think this one should have been it. IMO this blows DP 34 out of the water. The Let it Grow is so intensen. I was sitting down at home folding laundry and and the peak hit, when Jerry is just furriously strumming his gityar, I could help but stand up and bust out my air gituar. GOOD STUFF. The Eyes is without a doubt my favorite version. The Other One is solid. Not the best one but we've all heard a lot worse. Stella always warms my heart and brings a tear to my but this on moves me more that other versions. No lack of enegry at all durring this show.

This show is a perfect example of why I LOVE THE GREATFUL DEAD(and Jerry). Download and enjoy.

Stella is magnificent. Better than the one on So Many Roads. Jerry's guitar at the end is heartbreaking but still energetic. Just makes me cry and smile at the same time. No other musician can do that for me. The whole show is fantastic even for77 standards.

Ladies and Genteleman, step right up to the blazin version of Eyes! My favorite in my book along with the seamless seque into Estimated, you can't go wrong. Download NOW!

Colgate had a hell of a homecoming this year.

Call me a contrarian, but this show, Englishtown, and Broome County are my favorites of 77. I just like Jerry's harder sound, and the jamming is insane.

I've had the (very good) audience of this for 20 years, but the music loses absolutely nothing of the energy or intensity in the SBD version, and it does do away with the occasional crowd utterance (like the head who classically recognizes his buddy "Krauser" or "Towser" on the AUD at the beginning of a smoking Stella).

This is still my favorite Eyes from the period (even more than Englishtown), and the Stella>Playin is so crazy, words won't do it justice. And--this is the Jones gang show.

The Aiko is a bit slow out of Drums, but that's like the only blot on an otherwise UNBELIEVABLE show.

And it was COLGATE'S FRIGGIN HOMECOMING!!!!

Contains a not-too-common late 70s Iko. Does anyone have any data on the filler at the end?

I didn't download from here, because I already have a great SBD. The 2nd set is legendary in my book. The band is on fire. Don't pass this one up.

One of the great but overlooked shows for 1977. Jerry shines on BE Women and Roses, and Bobby delivers great versions of Minglewood and Let it Grow. But again,the 2nd Set is where they get down to business. After a rare Cold Rain, they plunge into a seamless jam segue of Playin>Eyes>Estimated>Other One that's mind boggling! Plus an early Iko Iko and a beautiful Stella Blue. Something here for everyone. Another show that proves the Dead were on a roll in 1977.
Guaranteed to bring a smile and get you kind!
Dr. Flashback :-)